Karen (Hess) Saxvik, age 73, of Sioux Falls, S.D., died Dec. 21, 2015, surrounded by loved ones. Public visitation with the family present was Dec. 27, 2015, at Miller Funeral Home. A funeral service was held Dec. 28, 2015, at First Lutheran Church.

Memorials may be directed to the Sioux Falls Education Foundation or the First Lutheran Church Music Ministry.

Karen Evelyn Hess, daughter of George and Evelyn (Flower) Hess, was born April 21, 1942 in Omaha, Neb., the youngest of three children. She graduated from Westside High in 1960 and went on to attend Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, where she majored in Elementary Education and Drama, graduating in 1964.

On June 6, 1964, she married Erik Saxvik ’64 in Omaha, Neb. They raised two daughters, Beth and Sarah, while living in Grand Forks, N.D., Brooklyn Park, Minn., and finally Sioux Falls, S.D. During many of those years, Karen stayed home to raise her daughters; she also devoted much of her time to teaching elementary students. Before her retirement in 2006, Karen taught first grade at Robert Frost Elementary in Sioux Falls for many years. She was an integral part of the Reading Recovery program, and she pioneered the ESL (English as a Second Language) program in Minneapolis in the early 1980’s. She was a patient, kind, and fun teacher, the favorite of many students.

An accomplished dancer and actor, Karen spent many of her adult years choreographing musicals for high schools and performing in community theatre productions. Karen also loved to travel – as long as it was by car, train, or foot. She and her dear friend, Toby, attended some great elder hostel trips in the western U.S. Toby introduced photography to Karen’s list of hobbies, which also included knitting, walking, singing, and spending time with her five grandchildren.

Karen will be deeply missed by her daughters, Beth (Scott) Boyens, Sioux Falls, and Sarah Saxvik ’94 (Roy Reichlin), Bellingham, Wash.; her grandchildren, Anna, Ethan, Emma, and Adam, Sioux Falls, and Betti, Bellingham, Wash.; and special friend, Toby Wellenstein, Sioux Falls. She is also survived by her sister, Elaine (Ed) Russell, Omaha, Neb., and many nieces and nephews.

Her parents and brother, Ronald Hess, preceded her in death.